Fully Loaded Home On Wheels, 64-plate Boxer

This is the very reluctant sale of our beloved campervan and home, which we had professionally converted in 2019 for a year of adventure. It has every extra that we could think of needing and we did not skimp on the quality of fittings. Unfortunately our year off had to end and we don’t have anywhere to store it hence sale. We needed van to function properly as a 24/7 home so all features had to be practical, sensible and durable not a “creative” solution to a problem! and I think we achieved and tested this. The van has a short MOT but we would sell with it newly done.

Van details:
2014 Peugeot Boxer 130 Professional model, L3, H2, 2-berth campervan for sale. It has 89,000 miles on the clock and comes with air-conditioning and SatNav. It has 130 brake horsepower engine (the larger engine for this van type), ensuring that the van has plenty of ‘go’ when needed. It has hill-start assist and cruise control, useful for motorway travel. It comes equipped with a multi-media system with blue-tooth, and steering wheel controls.

The conversion:
The van was designed to be a liveable home for a year, loosely centred on the idea of a Cornish beach hut. We wanted it to be off-grid capable (solar power, large water capacity and big battery) and suitable for spending a Scottish winter in (in terms of insulation and heating and drying ability). It has large capacity for storage, ready for bikes, climbing gear etc.

Van Design:
It’s a 2-berth, fixed raised double bed with large amounts of storage underneath, and the garage to the rear is accessible internally and from the back double-doors. It is fitted with twin front swivel seats to provide the main seating area (the original double bench seat is available if preferred). There is a rear drying area, equipped with hooks and rail to hang gear from, serviced by blown-air heating. There are a variety of storage cupboards and shelves throughout the van. Double-glazed roof lights in both the shower and living room have blinds and fly-screens, which can lock down. The double glazed side window has an integral fly screen and separate blind.

Kitchen area:
The kitchen has a double gas hob and stainless steel sink unit with over unit LED lighting, serviced with a full-sized hot and cold mixer tap. There’s a 240V LEC fridge which is a 63 litre capacity, including freezer box (this is run from the inverter for off-grid use. There is a fold-down table for the driver’s seat and for the passenger there is a dismountable swivel table. This is also great as a laptop table, and even swivels outside the van (for putting cocktails on during a soiree?!).

Bathroom:
Fully sealed GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) wetroom featuring a full-sized mixer shower and corner basin, and a large-capacity Thetford porta-potti 165. It has a full-height Tambour slider door. All of the above create a surprisingly large and practical wash-room. It also doubles as a space to hang dripping-wet gear after a day out in the rain! There is dedicated lighting for this room and blown-air heating to provide comfort and enable the drying of kit.

Plumbing and electrics:
This van has been designed to high specifications for practical long-term use. It features a full 240V system and shore-power hook-up for campsite stays. There are three 240V sockets and 2 USB chargers for use during electric hook-up. There is an additional three standard 240V sockets and four USB ports which are run from the leisure battery and 1200W Victron pure sine-wave inverter. There is 12V LED lighting throughout which can switched on in different configurations. The 12V system is based around the huge 240 AmpH leisure battery. This is charged by a split-charge relay when the van engine is running or the 200W roof-mounted solar panel when it’s sunny! When it is plugged into shore-power, it utilises an intelligent, fast mains charger. Enclosed in a discrete cupboard is the 12V fuse board and 240V consumer unit.
Outside there are bright rear lights which can be switched on from the cab (very useful for getting bikes on/off the carrier in the dark!), a rear reversing camera (making life a lot less stressful!) and bumper-mounted parking sensors. Atop the van is a TV antennae and amplifier. On the roof is also an aerial for the ‘Mifi’ wireless internet system (something that we found essential – frequently having better wi-fi than at home!)

In terms of plumbing, there is a large capacity, 75 litre tank for fresh-water, inside the vehicle (useful in winter temperatures) which is filled from an external, lockable port. The water is pumped using the Shurflo water pump and a pressure vessel is fitted for a smoother flow. The waste tank is under-slung and has a 35 litre capacity, with tap located within easy reach. The kitchen sink and shower are both serviced with hot and cold water. The hot water and heating are provided by the Truma combi-4E gas and electric boiler which has a 10 litre hot water capacity and up to 4kW of heating . The boiler is run either using gas or shore-power (when plugged in), and is controlled via a panel and thermostat, providing a sophisticated system to keep you warm even in the coldest conditions. The heating has 4 hot-air ducts which are located as to service the wash-room, garage and kitchen and living area.
The gas used by the boiler and hob are provided by a large 13kg propane gas bottle, enclosed within a sealed gas compartment with a gas drop-out vent. Its located at the rear of the garage, making it easy to remove and exchange.

Before van fit-out:
High-mass acoustic pads were applied to the van panelling to reduce noise. These were then covered with Celotex insulation and more acoustic fill before applying a continuous foil vapour-barrier. The van was then finished with wooden panelling painted in ‘Heron’ or soft grey carpet.

Outside:
Externally there is a rear-door mounted 2-bike Thule bike carrier. To the side, a large Fiamma F45 awning is mounted, providing shady relief in hot times. There are 2 new winter tyres fitted to the front of the vehicle which give much more traction in wet and slippy conditions. (the spare summer tires will come with it)

Other features:
The floor surface is heavy duty vinyl throughout the van (excluding the cab, which retains its original rubber floor matting) with aluminium nosing. Chrome rail bars provide areas for hanging and airing.

Key Points:
200W solar panel
TV aerial
Mifi Wi-Fi booster on roof
Fiamma F45 awning
Thule bike rack fitted to rear door
75 litre fresh- water tank
35 litre waste tank
Fitted with a large 13kg gas cylinder
Truma combi-4E boiler
2-ring Dometic gas burner
240 mAh leisure battery
Battery charger
1200W Victron pure sine-wave inverter
Peugeot OEM passenger captain swivel seat
63 litre LEC fridge
12 V lighting
240 V ring main inverter
240 V ring main shore
Cast bathroom cubicle
Internally van was clad with Celotex, vapour sealed and wood clad or fabric clad in places
Kitchen unit with fold down table
Adjustable side table
Reversing camera